Notes on ScopePort

I had this problem for a longer time now: When I established a VPN connection on Ubuntu Intrepid it just failed after a few seconds or minutes. This did not happen in the earlier Ubuntu versions.

The error in the syslog was: “nm-pptp-service-9656 warn[decaps_gre:pptp_gre.c:331]: short read (-1): Message too long”

There is a very simple solution for that: Just set the MTU of your VPN connection to 1412 and the connection should stay alive! (sudo ifconfig ppp0 mtu 1412)

It seems like Microsoft changed something of their MSN Messenger infrastructure again. All MSN clients that use libpurple (e.g. Pidgin and Adium) can’t connect right now. (Unable to retrieve address book)

This is not a problem of libpurple. The problem is that the MSN servers are hosted and maintained by Microsoft – Only Microsoft! They can do whatever they want. You have no control over the service or what happens to your data. They just change what they want and you can’t connect with your alternate client anymore.

So what’s the alternative? Jabber! Jabber is a decentralised instant messaging network. You can setup your own server and have control over everything. The XMPP protocol used by Jabber is free (as in “free speech”) and allows you to do whatever you want. I recommend using Openfire or ejabberd as Jabber server software.

There are also a lot of free Jabber servers available if you don’t want to setup your own server. You can e.g. signup at jabber.org for a Jabber account.

Reclaim instant messaging and use Jabber!

More Information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jabber / http://www.jabber.org/

I have been looking for a really clean and easy to use Twitter client for a long time. I recently tried out Gwibber and it seems like I found what I wanted: Gwibber is easy to use, fast and focuses on the important things.

You can tweet by using the little input box at the bottom. You get a little bubble notification at the bottom left of your screen if somebody you follow tweets. (This can be disabled.) Gwibber stays in your tray if close it.

How to install Gwibber on Ubuntu 8.10 Intrepid

1. Create a file “/etc/apt/sources.list.d/gwibber.list” and add the Gwibber repository:

# File: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/gwibber.list
deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/gwibber-team/ubuntu intrepid main
deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/gwibber-team/ubuntu intrepid main

2. Update your local repository information cache and install Gwibber: (aptitude update, aptitude install gwibber)

3. Start Gwibber from your applications menu (Section “Internet”)

4. Add Gwibber to your GNOME autostart. This can be done in the GNOME session manager:

Gwibber also supports some other services that I did not try out:

• Digg
• Facebook
• Jaiku
• Pownce
• Flickr
• Identica

You can find out more on the Gwibber Launchpad site.

Okay… Try this:

1. Search for “flickr” in Google.
2. Click on the “Search” link below the flickr.com result
3. Think about the preselected search term.

I just took a look at the “Google Chrome Private Notice“. Here are two quotes:

When you type URLs or queries in the address bar, the letters you type are sent to Google so the Suggest feature can automatically recommend terms or URLs you may be looking for. If you choose to share usage statistics with Google and you accept a suggested query or URL, Google Chrome will send that information to Google as well.

Your copy of Google Chrome includes one or more unique application numbers. These numbers and information about your installation of the browser (e.g., version number, language) will be sent to Google when you first install and use it and when Google Chrome automatically checks for updates.

This is somehow what I expected (even though I was quite astonished by the second quote). Google makes money by displaying ads that you might click on. It is clear that they want to know what you are interested in. This is just a continuation of the course Google is going since years. (Think about Context sensitive ads in Google Mail) The first quote is not really a new think. I think Firefox also does this in the standard configuration.

Keep in mind that Google Chrome is open source. Chrome may bring the browser world a few steps forward with its new concepts.

What do you think about this? I will Chrome give a try once it is released for GNU/Linux and keep an eye on the privacy discussion.